Livestreaming boosts walnut industry in SW China's Yunnan

In mid-October, livestreamer Hai Xiyao began her usual livestream session from Yangbi Yi Autonomous County in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province.

Although this year's fresh, green-husked walnuts from her hometown sold out last month, her livestream room remains bustling, now filled with orders for dried walnuts.

Livestreamer Hai Xiyao sells walnuts during a livestream session in Yangbi Yi Autonomous County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo courtesy of the convergence media center of Yangbi county)

Hai has been livestreaming for five years. After graduating from college, she returned home from a big city.

"My family owns hundreds of mu (one mu equals about 0.07 hectares) of walnut trees," she said, adding that what she wants most now is to promote her hometown's quality products.

In August, the county launched a demonstration project that integrates passenger, freight and postal services with the local commercial network. To support the effort, Dali Feiyi Supply Chain Co., Ltd. was established through mixed-ownership reform to build a rapid logistics distribution center and develop a complete walnut industry chain.

Upon hearing of the initiative, Hai relocated her team to the core area of the walnut industrial park in Machang village, Cangshanxi town, setting up her livestream studio within the production facility.

According to Li Bohan, director of Dali Feiyi Supply Chain Co., Ltd., the company integrates multiple courier services and nurtures local livestream e-commerce teams. Since launching livestream sessions in mid-September, sales through e-commerce platforms have reached 1.8 million yuan (about $253,000), with 60,000 orders totaling around 150 tonnes of walnuts.

A worker weighs walnuts in Yangbi Yi Autonomous County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Yin Xin)

"In the past, I received only a few dozen orders per night. Now 700 to 800 orders are placed each day," Hai said.

Yangbi's livestreaming success reflects the strength of its comprehensive walnut industry chain, which links cultivation, processing, marketing, e-commerce and brand development.

The county boasts a rich history of walnut cultivation and is home to over 180,000 century-old walnut trees. Known as the birthplace of southern China's walnuts and a nationally renowned base for walnut research and seedling breeding, Yangbi cultivates walnuts across 1.07 million mu of land.

The "Yangbi Walnut" is registered as a geographical indication trademark in China.

"Our county has seized opportunities brought by the digital economy and advanced the integration of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries," said Yang Yonggang, Party chief and director of the county's forestry and grassland administration.

A villager prepares to carry walnuts at a walnut industrial park in Yangbi Yi Autonomous County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Yin Xin)

In 2024, Yangbi's total walnut output value exceeded 3.5 billion yuan, with exports reaching 39.92 million yuan.

Leveraging the walnut industrial park as its hub, Yangbi sources and processes high-quality walnuts from surrounding regions, including Dali, Yongren and Fengqing, continually extending its industrial chain.

Within the park, Dali Yangbi Wannong Food Co., Ltd. operates two ultra-high-speed production lines — one processing 600 cans per minute and another 400 cans per minute — along with a walnut sauce production line. The company's annual beverage output currently reaches 100,000 tonnes.

Meanwhile, Dali Yangbi Walnut Co., Ltd., one of the county's leading walnut processors, commands a 60 percent market share in Yunnan Province.

A worker works on a walnut milk production line of Dali Yangbi Wannong Food Co., Ltd. in Yangbi Yi Autonomous County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Yin Xin)

"We invest 6 percent of annual sales revenue into research and development to create new products that appeal to emerging markets and young consumers," said He Yingquan, deputy general manager of the company.

The company also collaborates with the Yangbi Walnut Research Institute, affiliated with the Yunnan Academy of Forestry and Grassland, and the Institute of Highland Forest Science, under the Chinese Academy of Forestry, to carry out joint projects on advanced walnut production technologies and demonstration applications.

A worker operates a forklift to load walnuts onto a truck in Yangbi Yi Autonomous County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Yin Xin)